2. Tourist-oriented traditional chinese medicine (TCM) clinics

Knowing that these TCM clinics are tourist oriented should set alarm bells off immediately.

Their act is highly persuasive – free foot massages are given and you see men in white lab coats posing as doctors.

They first take your pulse and then diagnose your condition by guessing common factors that have caused you to get a certain disease.

For instance, they guess you have been sleeping late nights, which is something very likely to be true for working adults.

Once trust is built, they sell you overpriced fake herbs or liquids which are useless.

What to do:

Only go to reputable TCM clinics, such as Tong Ren Tang, a TCM shop with centuries of history.

Or check reviews online or get recommendations from your hotel / hostel staff.

Do be wary though, as there are many Tong Ren Tang copycats which use a similar sounding name.

3. Tea house scam

How it works:

This is usually done through scam #1, where you are approached by a stranger who wants to practise her English with you and who subsequently brings you to a tea house.

Major tourist attractions such as Tiananmen Square in Beijing, People’s Square in Shanghai etc are where these crooks hunt for targets.

Tours are another common avenue, as tea houses pay good commission to them.

Anyhow, you will end up with an astronomical bill for a few cups of tea.

What to do:

There are many teas of inferior quality sold for a high price by shady operators.

Only buy if you have done your research / or if at a reputable tea house.

If you find yourself a victim of a scam, call the police down and these crooks will refund you in no time.

We also recommend concealing your valuables with a money belt / hidden pouch, and to use a cheap, spare wallet with little cash inside to act as a decoy (i.e. showing the scammers that there is little point in exploiting you).

4. Arts gallery / school scam

Image source: angelynbryce.blogspot.com

How it works:

This is very similar to scam #1 and scam #5 and also found in Indonesia.

However, in this case “art students” will approach you and invite you to check out some Chinese art at their studio.

Some will claim to be dealers in rare Chinese antiques, or that this is the last day of their school’s exhibition.

Once you are there, they will use many hard sell tactics to make you buy one of their works at an inflated price.

Nonsensical claims such as this being the only one in circulation will be made.

What to do:

Only buy at reputable shops after doing some online research or checking with your hotel / hostel staff.

Do not follow any street tout / stranger who tells you otherwise.

If they do not want to let you go, threaten to call the police (number at end of this article).

5. The massage scam

How it works:

This is where a Chinese lady approaches you and offers a massage. Nanjing Road in Shanghai is a hotspot for this.

Should you accept, you will be led to a secluded apartment and asked to take off your clothes. There are many different ways this can develop.

For instance, halfway through a massage, an official looking person will come in to pretend to arrest both of you.

At this point, the lady would have “escaped”, and with your wallet as well.

Another variation is where the pimp enters with a gang of thugs, and demand an outrageous bill compared to the initially agreed upon price.

What to do:

Do not accept such offers from touts on the streets.

6. Fake “officials” at Mao’s Tomb at Tiananmen Square

Tiananmen Square

How it works:

There are scammers who go around claiming that that you need an official passport / ID and proper shoes before you can enter, which is nonsense.

Should you believe them, they will offer to sell you some documentation or shoes for you to enter the mausoleum.

What to do:

Brush them off.

7. Fake / over priced silk / jade / jewellery / pearl

Image source: noblejades.com/how-to-tell-if-jade-is-fake.html

How it works:

This is another favourite stop of tour companies to bring you to.

As the title suggests, many of these jade shops sell fake or low quality jade at inflated price. What is impressive is the salesmanship of the scammers at these jade shops.

These scammers put in Oscar worthy performances. They act as if the shop has many years of experiences and had been patronised by big personalities.

They try to make it seem as if they are on your side, by bringing you into the VIP room, giving a free gift, having a staff screw up / making a mistake in front of the guests, and the owner scolding and punishing him / her for instance, and finally offering a friendship discount!

You can find screenshots of some of the Oscar worthy performances below: